Thursday, November 20, 2014

Just having some lunch, and thought I'd get around to updating the blog.

Good news: I started new medication over the summer to treat the depression, and it's been working! For those not in the know, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and after countless treatments, trials, and tribulations, it seems that things are finally on the up and up.

The last time I had a major depressive episode was prior to having starting this new medication. That means I've had almost 5 months without any signs of depression whatsoever. It's truly incredible. It may sound as though I'm bouncing off the walls, but the reality is that I simply feel normal. Not too high, not too low. I have more energy than I did before, and have been able to truly enjoy things in my life for the first time in probably 15 or 16 years.

Bad news: I'm turning 26. The job market is terrible, and my two years of fighting depression led to a big gap in my employment record. Jobs are scarce, and the competition is so fierce now that people are fighting tooth and nail for a chance to work for free... it's insane, but it's the world we live in. I want to go back to school, and I'm currently awaiting a response from a university as to whether or not I possess all necessary prerequisites. Who knew that a 4 year honours BA would be so worthless...

The plan is to get the necessary prerequisites during the next summer, then start a three year program in the medical field starting in September. That's the hope, though again, getting into school is proving to be no cakewalk, with limited spaces and high number of applicants. Cross your fingers for me, I could use some good luck after what I've been through.

More bad news: Have I lost my creative streak? I used to love doing radio, I used to dream of, and then shoot short films. At one point I even enjoyed writing. I wonder if the older I get, the more I lose of that kid creativity I used to rely on. Maybe my hobbies have just changed?

As soon as I started to feel better, I decided to put all of my worries and concerns about the future aside. It was the middle of summer, and I wanted to enjoy life for once. I felt like I deserved a break... so I spent my entire summer and fall up at our property in Muskoka. Our cottage is still several years away from being completed (my dad estimates that it will be another 7 or so until it's truly finished). No matter! It's still a great place to go for a guy like me. We finally got electricity, and with that, were able to install a dry toilet (Separett is the way to go...might write a blog on outhouses shortly). That meant no more shitting in the woods. Thanks to the electricity, we were able to bring up a fridge, and with that my next 4 months were set. I'd spend 5-6 days a week in the country, and come back to the city on weekends to see friends, do some laundry, and pick up supplies. I built a kickass outhouse, see future blog, an amazing extension for our dock (complete with fully functioning pool slide), and started construction on my own cabin. I'm too lazy to put up individual pictures, so simply head over here to see the entire album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/imnotjulien/sets/72157634968291888/

My cabin still isn't done. I wasn't able to run power over to it before the ground froze, and it was simply too cold to keep working, so my last day up there was on October 22nd, I think?

There's still lots to do, but I look forward to one day having a quiet place of my own to rest and relax. So maybe that's where the creativity in me went? I build all these structures from scratch, with only the ideas in my head, and some very rough plans. It's been great to see it all come together, and more than anything, I can't wait to see it when it's all done. Spending a week at a time without seeing another human being was actually a tremendous luxury. No arguments, no anger, no bad news, just nature, swimming, and swinging a hammer.

Aside from that, I started dating a new girl. She's incredibly bright and hard working, we seem to get along real well, and it's the easiest relationship I've ever had, as far as I'm concerned. I still live at home, which is okay but not great.

I haven't written in forever, but if everything pans out with these school applications, I hope to devote my free time in winter to writing and completing a novel.

This is obviously an abbreviated update, but it covers all the bases to some extent. Oh, I'd like to work a little more on this mini-documentary I started shooting a few years ago (reading transcripts later today....hurrah?) and maybe do a couple more posts on this blog. My cabin is a tiny house, so I'd like to maybe write a bit about that, though I'm not tremendously motivated. Also, I think I have a couple of Midnight Caller episode I never uploaded, and from what I understand, all the old ones were taken down from the server, so I guess I probably ought to correct that issue. I just really don't care to sit in front of computers like I used to, so it's gonna take an awful lot of internal coaxing...

In any case, I hope anyone reading this is doing well, enjoying life, and something something.